Method of printing moving-picture films.



P. L. DYER & D. HOLDEN.

METHOD OP PRINTING MOVING PICTURE FILMS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1905.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

Witnesses .f

F. L; DYER & D. HOLDEN.

METHOD 0T PRINTING MOVING PICTURE FILMS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1905.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

w r m m w I i cessive phases oft' movement.

l UNITED stares Parana. cartes.

RANK L. DYEB., QF MONTCLAIR, .AND DELOS HOLDEN, 'UP'.PER MQNTCLAIB, NEW JERSEY, .ASSIGNORS T0 EDSON MANUFxCTUEING CMYANY, 0F WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF PRNTLNG? MOVG-PXCTURE FILMS.

Specification of Letters 'atent.

rat-@atea sept. 1a, 191e.

Application tiled. November 8, 1905. Serial No. 286,444.

clair, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Method of Printing Moving-Picture Films, of which the following is a description.

ln the present commercial moving picture art the negative of the moving picture is secured by means of a camera of the type disclosed 'in Edison Reissue Patent No. 12.037, dated September th. 1909. and results in the production of a long film containing negative photographic impressions of the objeta or objects in motion` arranged in a single straight line sequence. and representing successively the correspomling suc- 'lhe positive pictures are printed from such a negative (after the latter has beenl suitably developed and fixed) in an apparatus somewhat analogous to a camera, and arranged so that the negathi'e, and a sensitive film on which the negative is superimposed, may he simultaneously and intermittently fed past a light, opening, a shutter being employed to admit light during the periods of rest, sol as tp result in the printing` of the negiteivc images upon the sensitive lihn. which when developed and fixed will carry the positive impressions. A printing machine ot this general type is disclosed in the patent' to liu- 'miere. No. 579.882 dated March 30, N917.

In Patent No. 875,333, granted to us December ill. W0?, we describe a moving pieturefilm in which the photographs. instead of being` arranged in a single straight line sequence, are arranged in two'separate arithmetical series alternating with each other, and one series being shifted longitudinally of the film with respect to the other. lVith such a film, it heroines possible to exhibit the pictures of the two series in alternation ,lat different exposurey openings, whereby during the time that one picture is being exliibited. the following picture of the other series may be n'ioved into position to be subsequently exhibited, so as to thereby permit a continuous exhibition of the pictures on the screen without varying the amount of light used, and consequently doing away with the objectionable fiickering at present experienced.

Our present invention relates to an improved method by which a film of the type referred to may be printed from an ordinary moving picture negative obtained as at present, and in an apparatus corresponding substantially with printing machines now used in this art except that it has two exposure openings and means whereby the negative film is shifted longitudinally with respect to the positive between the two openings.

In order that the invention may be better understood, attention is directed to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, and in which YFigure l represents the film as the same would appear it developed and fixed after passing only one exposure opening; Fig. 2, is a correspondingview, showing the film as finally produced. In both of these Views, we illustrate a flying bird as the moving object. and a steeple as the stationary background. Fig. 2% is a diagrammatic view showing the relative arrangement of the positive and negative films, the photographs of the negative being numbered and the photographic impressions of the positive bearing the same numbers as the photographs of the negatives which produce said impressions.

ln carrying our invention into effect, we proceed as follows: A suit-able moving picture negative n of the uspal type in which the i'ihotographs appear in regular numerical sequence is first secured. A sensitive film a. is then placed in juxtaposition to said negative and the two lms are together passed" across a suitable exposure opening s and pictures o separated by unexposed blanlc spaces c are printed on the sensitive film preferably by arranging the shutter solas to admit light only when alternate pictures are brought to rest at said openings. Thus in\\ Fig. 3 assuming the path of the two films to be downward, the odd numbered pictures will all be printed at the exposure opening s. blank spaces c appearing upon the sensitive film a. after leaving said opening. The negative film is then shifted longitudinally with respect to the positive by caus- 1 ing the two' iilms to follow paths of unequal length to a second exposure opening t, loops of unequal length being formed in the two films, as shown in Fi 3. A t the opening the even numbered pictures will be printed in the blank spaces c but not in their proper numerical positions on account vof the shifting` ot' the negative with respect to the positive; thus in the example illustrated in F ig.

.- I the Lith photograph of the negative will he printed on the positive between the 9th and 11th pictures and the 6th between the lith and 13th, and so one Having now described our invention, what we claim as new and 'desire to secure by Letters Patent, is asfollows:

i. The method of printing a moving picture lilm from a negative containing a oontinuous straight line sequence of photographic impressions in regular order of successive. positions oit' a moving object'or objects, which consists in superimposing the negative upon Athe sensitive film, passing the two films together across a suitable exposure opening, printing upon the sensitive tilm at said opening an arithmetical series of positive pictures separaited by blank spaces, in then causing the two films to follow paths of unequal length to a second exposure opening whereby the negative film is shifted longitudinally with respect to the positive, and in then printing at said second opening upon the blank spaces of said positive the pictures not printed at the first operation, substantially as set forth.

2. The method of printing a moving picture film from a negative containing a continfious straight Aline sequence of pliotographic impressions vin regular order ot' suc cessive positions of a moving object oi' objects, which consists in supei'imposing the negative upon the sensitive film, passing the two lins together across a suitable exposure opening, printing upon the sensitive iilin zitsaid opening an arithmeticul series of positive pictures separated by blank spaces, in then causing a relative longitudinal shift between the two films equal to an integral even number of pictures, and passing the two films together across a second exposure opening, and in then printing atsaid second opening upon the blank spaces of said sensitive film t e pictures not printed at the first operation, in an arithmetical series, displaced from their proper numerical positions with respect to the iirst named series, an amount equal to the relative shifting of the lins, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 6th day of November, 1905.

FRANK L. DYER. "DELOS HOLDEN. 

